Other than Monta who was brilliant - Mike D had a good game and so did Pietrus - 5 blocks? I liked the aggresiveness of Dre against Amare, it shows some of that Monta fearlessness. If J-Rich was healthier and we defended the threes, that would be our game.
Don't let the records fool ya - Suns are for real. Nash is scary good. He makes it look too easy.
Anyway, tough loss but I'll take it because we can hold our heads up and the confidence will help us down the stretch. Much better than our losses to Lakers and Utah.

Close game and as hobbes said, no Baron, Diogu and JRich not 100% yet. Also Murphy not 100% yet either and the game came down to the last shot!

Ellis is a star already and has confidence and no real fear, ingredients of a star. Biedrins is not fouling like he used to and is playing great! Things have changed like they should have with Ellis and Biedrins being major players. Diogu just needs to be seen the same way and play like it for the transition to success to be complete!

Just got back from the game and am extremely hoarse...quick impressions:

MONTA!!! The dunk where he posterized Barbosa was absurd, and he follows up with the 3 point play - yep, he did get fouled by Marion on the play where he was injured. He is THE STEAL of the 2005 draft...amazing. We all gave him about a 3 minute standing O after THE DUNK

Phoenix - head and shoulders above any other team I have seen in passing. Both teams pushed and played great tempo, but the Suns moving theball is a thing of beauty, and you can really appreciate it wide angle at the game...they are also moving the ball well when nash is not out there now.

Amare - more rusty than anything - I am pretty certain he will be getting 22/10 by playoff time.

Biedrins - the real deal. Very very quick, a beast on the glass, strong shotblocker, and the only low post big besides Ike - his free throws are....an adventure, but I am sticking with him being a 15 12 eventually

Pietrus - other than dubious handles, he looks like the player we all thought he would be prior to last year's lost weekend. Uncanny from 3 land, and strong all around...

Dunleavy - it was amusing to hear all the sarcasm and anti-Dunleavy invective. The guy does some good things, particularly taking charges, but he is so inconsistent and at times he makes such egregious mental mistakes. I think his circuits get jammed at times. Excellent first quarter, his miscues and turnovers helped the Suns back in in the 2nd from a 14 to 5 point deficit...he is an enigma, and I think it is focus and just making some really bad decisions at times, thus the 6 costly turnovers by him

McCleod did nothing...Murphy was strong on the boards but is congenitally opposed to posting up...

Jrich is still a step slow at times and it is clear he has trouble with his handles - he had a ridiculously wide open 3 to tie at the buzzer and came up pretty short - seems like his rhythm is playing off a driving PG, and he is still figuring out how to work with Monta and vice versa...when he gets back to his old groove that will be a huge asset...

I liked Barnes, he brings some toughness and inside game to the team

Overall, for a team lacking Baron and Ike, the Ws looked very strong at times, esp in the open court - they are a very plausible 7th or 8th seed

Oh, Nash continues to be unfairly good...he is a killer, and 15 assists and one turnover, well he is the 2-time MVP for a reason

and one last time MONTA!!!

To Live is A Value Judgment - Albert Camus
3 reasons for living: Jazz, Hoops and women

This is Monta Ellis's fault for losing, In my opinion. I think if he also let other people touch the ball instead of always driving in, JRich would've made that shot. His injury in the last couple minutes seemed to be serious as he was crutched to the floor in pain but what do you know? It's a cramp. Now I've had some pretty bad cramps in my legs after long long games of non stop basketball, but wow, Ellis needs to suck that **** up. Anybody remember JRich last year spraining his ankle and then just completly exploding on the Utah Jazz in the 2nd quarter and then hit the game winning shot and then in OT Okur buried the 3. Ellis is a ***** with the pain. He's a great shooting guard and he has a loads of a way to go with being a point guard. Don't get me wrong, if it werent for him, the Warriors would be done but Ellis needs to leran how to suck up pain and how to assist others.

coltraning wrote:Just got back from the game and am extremely hoarse...quick impressions:

MONTA!!! The dunk where he posterized Barbosa was absurd, and he follows up with the 3 point play - yep, he did get fouled by Marion on the play where he was injured. He is THE STEAL of the 2005 draft...amazing. We all gave him about a 3 minute standing O after THE DUNK

Phoenix - head and shoulders above any other team I have seen in passing. Both teams pushed and played great tempo, but the Suns moving theball is a thing of beauty, and you can really appreciate it wide angle at the game...they are also moving the ball well when nash is not out there now.

Amare - more rusty than anything - I am pretty certain he will be getting 22/10 by playoff time.

Biedrins - the real deal. Very very quick, a beast on the glass, strong shotblocker, and the only low post big besides Ike - his free throws are....an adventure, but I am sticking with him being a 15 12 eventually

Pietrus - other than dubious handles, he looks like the player we all thought he would be prior to last year's lost weekend. Uncanny from 3 land, and strong all around...

Dunleavy - it was amusing to hear all the sarcasm and anti-Dunleavy invective. The guy does some good things, particularly taking charges, but he is so inconsistent and at times he makes such egregious mental mistakes. I think his circuits get jammed at times. Excellent first quarter, his miscues and turnovers helped the Suns back in in the 2nd from a 14 to 5 point deficit...he is an enigma, and I think it is focus and just making some really bad decisions at times, thus the 6 costly turnovers by him

McCleod did nothing...Murphy was strong on the boards but is congenitally opposed to posting up...

Jrich is still a step slow at times and it is clear he has trouble with his handles - he had a ridiculously wide open 3 to tie at the buzzer and came up pretty short - seems like his rhythm is playing off a driving PG, and he is still figuring out how to work with Monta and vice versa...when he gets back to his old groove that will be a huge asset...

I liked Barnes, he brings some toughness and inside game to the team

Overall, for a team lacking Baron and Ike, the Ws looked very strong at times, esp in the open court - they are a very plausible 7th or 8th seed

Oh, Nash continues to be unfairly good...he is a killer, and 15 assists and one turnover, well he is the 2-time MVP for a reason

and one last time MONTA!!!

Thanks for the report, colt. I'm happy with the way the game went, even tho we lost. We showed a lot of promise playing Phoenix (a team that, as I've said several times, I don't consider a contender, but nonetheless a pretty good team) so close without Baron, Ike and a limping J-Rich. It's encouraging the way this team is playing now.

Monta is not only the steal of the draft. He's gotta become the foundation of this team. I don't care how, but we can't let him go. Ditto with Biedrins. I hope he keeps playing like this (for the Warriors and because I've just picked him for fantasy league).

BT wrote:This is Monta Ellis's fault for losing, In my opinion. I think if he also let other people touch the ball instead of always driving in, JRich would've made that shot. His injury in the last couple minutes seemed to be serious as he was crutched to the floor in pain but what do you know? It's a cramp. Now I've had some pretty bad cramps in my legs after long long games of non stop basketball, but wow, Ellis needs to suck that **** up. Anybody remember JRich last year spraining his ankle and then just completly exploding on the Utah Jazz in the 2nd quarter and then hit the game winning shot and then in OT Okur buried the 3. Ellis is a ***** with the pain. He's a great shooting guard and he has a loads of a way to go with being a point guard. Don't get me wrong, if it werent for him, the Warriors would be done but Ellis needs to leran how to suck up pain and how to assist others.

Who are you to sahat kind of pain Monta was in? Also, how can you call out and blame Monta for this loss when he is one of the main reasons the Warriors were even in the game in the fourth quarter? Maybe Jason Richardson was able to play last year after getting hurt against the Jazz, but perhaps this injury was different and perhaps it was more than a cramp as was being reported on television. Give the kid a break! He has been a revelation this season and you must be the only one out there that is blaming him for this loss.

Overall, the Warriors showed a lot of heart and enthusiasm to put themselves in a position to win the game. For the most part their rotations in thir zone defense were good. A few times unfortunately they lost Raja Bell and he was deadly from three-point land tonight. In fact, the Suns were something like 14 of 26 from beyond the arc. That was killer for the Warriors.

I am hoping this loss does not linger. I also hope Monta's injury was indeed a cramp and not a more serious knee injury. Let's keep our fingers crossed and let's get back to winning ways against the Nuggets tomorrow night.

ChicagoTom wrote:[quote="BT"It's a cramp. Now I've had some pretty bad cramps in my legs after long long games of non stop basketball, but wow, Ellis needs to suck that **** up. .

Can't overcome a real cramp, it is physically impossible. A bad cramp takes over your body and applies your muscles in ways you cannot control. Has to do with a change in the tissues that acts like a ratchet so that the muscles only work in one direction. A Dr told me that, or similar.

It is always amusing when fans call out players for not being as tough as they are, or my favorite: "If I were making $8 million per year I wouldn't let injury slow me down".

carlgo wrote:Can't overcome a real cramp, it is physically impossible. A bad cramp takes over your body and applies your muscles in ways you cannot control. Has to do with a change in the tissues that acts like a ratchet so that the muscles only work in one direction. A Dr told me that, or similar.

It is always amusing when fans call out players for not being as tough as they are, or my favorite: "If I were making $8 million per year I wouldn't let injury slow me down".